Wow that's a really cool idea! I should keep track of this. I have a big roo ratio with my cochin hen. Out of 15 chicks, only 4 or 5 were girls. :/I do lots of egg swapping. I know which hens produce a better pullet to roo ratio and try to use their eggs. Something new I tried this year and it worked well. Mama has a track record of producing roo heavy broods. So this summer I swapped eggs. Ate hers and gave her other hens eggs. Out of her 15 from the summer only 5 are roo's.
this is something I noticed over the last few years. Certain hens always producing more pullets. So I asked the question on the OT thread. Turns out this is common knowledge among Old timers.Wow that's a really cool idea! I should keep track of this. I have a big roo ratio with my cochin hen. Out of 15 chicks, only 4 or 5 were girls.
I'll have to be keeping records from now on.this is something I noticed over the last few years. Certain hens always producing more pullets. So I asked the question on the OT thread. Turns out this is common knowledge among Old timers.
it is a non stop battle with outdoor laying. I let them.... but.... don't let them sit there. I replace their eggs with golfballs daily. Just to keep them laying in the same spot so I can find the eggs. If they go broody on the golf balls I break them. Some of them eventually catch on and lay indoors. Others like mytiny bantam Sumatra "Lil Blue" never get it and I break her broodiness 3 to 4 times a year. For the last 3 years.Silly ferrel little thingI'll have to be keeping records from now on.
It's a little bit tougher with the silkies, as I can't figure out who laid what.. The eggs all look the same
Also - do you ever notice your broodies starting a nest outside? Do you let them if they do?
That sounds just like what I do. I don't mind if they lay outside, but no going broody outside. I did let a muscovy set outside behind a door and a bunch of wood. I shouldn't really say 'let her' but I knew she was nesting outside, yet couldn't find her.. Until one day I caught her in the act. She was not happy with me..it is a non stop battle with outdoor laying. I let them.... but.... don't let them sit there. I replace their eggs with golfballs daily. Just to keep them laying in the same spot so I can find the eggs. If they go broody on the golf balls I break them. Some of them eventually catch on and lay indoors. Others like mytiny bantam Sumatra "Lil Blue" never get it and I break her broodiness 3 to 4 times a year. For the last 3 years.Silly ferrel little thing
My problem isn't the eggs as much as the black hens. All of the black hens look the same, or darn close. The blues I can tell apart. And the splash's...well they are all in seperatte pens to make it easy.
So sorry to hear this,
Oh Johnn, I am so sorry to hear this! It is always devastating to have an attack. I hope you find Melow, and that she is all right.
I had a Silkie broody hen that sat on eggs of various vintages, one of them hatched but she stayed broody on about 2 more eggs. Meanwhile I had an incubator hatch of 13 chicks so after a couple days or less I put them under the broody hen at night. She accepted all of them except the 2 partridge and continued to sit. It took a few more days for her to accept those 2 but eventually she did and her 2 eggs did not seem viable so I removed them and she was a good mother for all the chicks. Chicks just seem to do so much better raised by a hen even though the mother takes them out in very cool weather (40s and 50s) when they are only a couple days old. I don't think the breed matters but the color may at first.
